Reposted from Museums Association

The British Museum must "own [its] mistakes" and not shy away from
controversy, chair George Osborne has said in a speech at the institution’s
annual dinner for trustees.
 Acknowledging that 2023 has not been the “easiest of years” for the museum,
Osborne pledged that it would be more open in addressing contentious issues
such repatriation, as well as confronting its failures in dealing with the
alleged thefts. “I think too often we’ve thought: let’s keep quiet; if we don’t talk about things that are difficult, then no one else will,” he said. “And course, it hasn’t worked. There is a big conversation happening about this museum, and other great museums like it – it’s just not taking place just in this building. We want that to change.” Osborne said the museum needed to be upfront about the mistakes it had made in dealing with the alleged theft of around 2,000 objects from its collections, which was revealed in August after an art dealer first raised
concerns in 2021.
 “We can’t pretend it didn’t happen, or it doesn’t matter, or that some
years ago we weren’t warned. It was our duty to look after these objects
and we failed in that duty,” he said. “That’s why we made news of the thefts public. It’s why we commissioned a far-reaching, independent review into what went wrong and how to fix it. It’s why we will publish its conclusions in the coming months. And it’s why I’ve apologized for what has happened.” Osborne emphasized that the objects were “most likely taken by someone who
worked here and we trusted”. “I tell you, the people who feel the betrayal most keenly are the many hundreds of staff – who work so hard, and who in many cases have devoted their professional lives to this place,” he added Acknowledging that the dinner was being held in Deveen Hall, home to the Parthenon sculptures, Osborne spoke about the long-running ownership
dispute over the marbles and said he remained committed to resolving the
issue with Greece – although he appeared to indicate that a deal is less
than certain. Osborne said: “As trustees we look for a partnership with our Greek friends that requires no one to relinquish their claims, asks for no changes to
laws which are not ours to write, but which finds a practical, pragmatic
and rational way forward. We may well not succeed. But we think it’s worth
trying.” Osborne thanked interim director Mark Jones, who he said had come out of semi-retirement to lead the museum after getting a call “out of the blue”
last August following the resignation of former director Hartwig Fischer.
In response to the recent crisis, Jones is spearheading a project to make
the museum’s collection fully accessible online within five years.
“Under Mark’s leadership, we are now embarking on the huge task of not just
documenting our whole collection – but doing so in a way that makes it more
accessible, and gives it more global reach, than ever before," said Osborne.
“The simple answer to a security breach would have been to restrict access
to our treasures – the right answer is to open it up.” Osborne also announced further details of the Museum Masterplan, the ambitious redevelopment project that will transform how the museum presents its collections, expand display space for objects from African, the Americas and the Pacific, and put the Round Reading Room at the center of the visit.
Architects and designers will be invited to pitch for the project next
year. Other capital projects being undertaken by the museum include the new
Archaeological Research Collection (ARC) facility, due to open shortly in
Berkshire, and a new energy center that has just received government
funding. Osborne also announced artist Tracey Emin as the British Museum’s new Royal Academy-nominated trustee, replacing Grayson Perry. Emin is the first
female artist to be nominated by the academy for the role.

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